This invention relates to the field of dart games in which game darts are thrown at a game board. The darts in accordance with this invention are secured in radially spaced apart relationship to an annular dart body with their piercing ends facing outwardly for one of them to stick when the dart body with the darts is thrown at the game board in a manner that makes the dart body rotate or spin as it moves through the air. The spaced apart darts are secured to the outer circumference of the annular dart body by a threaded screw tip extending outwardly from the lower portion or base of each dart. To enable tightening down of each dart as it is screwed in place on the outer circumference of the annular dart body, spaced apart flats are provided around the circumference of the annular dart body, whereby the flat lower surface of the base of each dart comes into full facing relationship with each respective flat when each dart is screwed in place on the annular dart body.
In many dart games, individual darts are thrown at the dart board. It is also known in the prior art to provide a dart body to which a plurality of darts are secured in spaced apart relationship, wherein such dart body is thrown at the target dart board in a manner that makes the dart body with multiple darts thereon rotate or spin so when it approaches the target board one of the darts has rotated to a position wherein its outer piercing end is facing the target board to pierce the target board on impact. Prior art multiple dart bodies of this type have a rounded circumferential surface, so the flat lower surface of the base portion of the dart cannot come into full facing relationship with such rounded circumferential surface and thus cannot be tightened down securely enough to hold the dart in place for a satisfactory length of time. The darts in such prior art multiple dart bodies become loose and fall out. The annular multiple dart body in accordance with the present invention solves that problem by providing the radially spaced apart flats around the circumference of the annular dart body at which to secure each of the respective darts.
The annular multiple dart assembly in accordance with this invention comprises a solid annular body of a suitable material such as wood, plastic or the like which the lower screw portion of the dart having a pointed end and an externally threaded shank can penetrate and hold the dart in place when tightened down. The solid annular body may also be of metal in which case a plurality of radially spaced apart internally threaded recesses are provided in which to receive respective ones of the externally threaded shanks of the darts.
In one embodiment of the invention the annular dart carrying body may have a hexagonal peripheral configuration, comprising six flat sides, to receive the lower screw portion of a dart at the midpoint of each flat side. Six darts are provided for such hexagonal dart carrying body. Each dart has an elongated mid-portion, a lance or piercing end piece at its outer end, and a base portion at its lower end. The base portion has an outwardly facing flat or planar surface, and a screw member extends from that outwardly facing flat or planar surface at the center thereof. The screw member has a sharply pointed outer end, and an externally threaded shank. The screw member of a respective dart is screwed into a respective one of the flat or planar sides of the hexagonal annular body at the midpoint of the flat side until the flat or planar surface of the dart base comes into full facing contact with the flat or planar surface of the respective flat or planar surface of the dart carrying body to which it is being affixed. The dart can then be tightened down to compress the respective flat surfaces into tight frictional engagement to prevent unintended loosening of the dart. When all six darts are thus affixed to the hexagonal dart carrying body, the assembly is ready for use.
The annular dart carrying body may have other peripheral configuration than hexagonal. It may be circular, with any desired number of radially spaced apart flats. The spaced apart flats may also be the bottom wall of internally threaded cylindrical recesses formed between spaced apart circular side walls of the dart carrying body which open outwardly to the circumference of the dart carrying body.